The Weekend
by Hummina
Summary: Starsky has plans for a special lady on her birthday. My first writing attempt to celebrate the birthday of a dear friend. Thanks for all the help Sandy!


**THE WEEKEND**

Hutch arrived in the squad room knowing that Starsky would be along in a few minutes. He always got to work before his partner, unless they rode together. He sat down at his desk just as the captain's door opened. "Starsk, what are you doing here so early?"

Starsky looked up, "Hey Hutch, I needed to talk to Dobey before we started our shift. You know this is a big weekend and I want to make sure my time off was approved." Hutch gave his partner a puzzled look. Starsky sighed, "Did you forget that Kristy's birthday is Thursday? I told her to take Friday off so we could have a long weekend."

Hutch smiled, he knew how important this weekend was to Starsky. They both knew that Kristy was a very special lady. He sometimes wished she liked him as well as she liked his partner. "Let me know if you need any help putting it together Starsk."

The boys were thankful for a quiet shift for a change. As they were riding around, Hutch was busy making a list for Starsky. "Thanks for writing this all down Hutch, I don't want to forget anything. The cabin I have rented is too far away to come back for something we forgot."

Hutch glanced at his partner, "No problem Starsk, glad to help. So far, I have the usual birthday fare. Cake, ice cream, balloons, decorations, candles, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and wine are all on the list. What else do you need?"

Starsky thought about it, "We will need groceries. I am taking her out to a nice restaurant on Thursday for her birthday dinner, but we will be in the cabin from Thursday night until Sunday night. We will need food, snacks, beer, and soda."

"You got it Gordo. Does the cabin have a freezer? I could come over tonight and help you make some meals to freeze and take with you. That way you won't have to take time out to prepare meals."

Hutch was graced with one of Starsky's brilliant smiles. "Thanks Blondie, that is a great idea! We can stop after work and pick up the supplies and order the cake. I will pick that up Thursday afternoon."

Their quiet afternoon of planning was cut short by the radio. _All units, all units in the vicinity of South Main and Campbell, a 211 in progress at the convenience store._ Hutch picked up the radio to respond. "This is Zebra 3, we are responding." He put the light on the roof as Starsky hit the siren, and the gas. A few minutes later they were pulling up in front of the store when they heard gunfire. Hutch grabbed the radio again. "This is Zebra 3, shots fired at our location. Requesting back-up." He did not wait for a response as he jumped out of the car to catch up with his partner, pulling his gun as he did. Starsky was waiting for him beside the entrance to the store, his gun also drawn.

"How do you want to play this? Split up? I go around back?" Hutch nodded and Starsky took off around the corner of the building. He waited long enough for Starsk to get to the back door, and slowly eased the front door open. He was able to slip in without being seen.

This was always the worst part. They had no idea what they were dealing with. He was able to see several people crowded around the register and figured they were employees and customers. He finally spotted the gunman. He had no way of knowing if he was alone. Just then he heard shouting, and then a gunshot, coming from the back of the store. Two men came running from the back towards the gunman he was watching, neither of them his partner. He stood and pointed his gun at the three men. "POLICE, FREEZE! DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEADS!" The men stopped and one pointed his gun at Hutch. He did not give the man a chance. Hutch fired and the man went down. He then swung back to the other two. "Are you going to drop those guns, or join your friend?"

Hutch was anxiously searching for the back-up he asked for. Starsky did not follow the two men from the back and he desperately needed to find him. He heard several cars pull up outside and shouted for the officers to get in there. "There are two here, and one down over there, take care of them!" He ran towards the back of the store and found the door to the back room. He went through, just to find Starsky sprawled out on the floor. An officer had followed him and he snapped back at him to go call an ambulance. He knelt on the floor next to his friend and started checking him out. He did not see any blood at first glance and was grateful that it appeared he had not been shot. He gently checked Starsky's head and found the problem, a fairly large gash on the back of his head, and enough blood to be worrisome. The attendants brought the stretcher in just as Starsky began to stir. Hutch put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Hey Buddy, just lay still. Let them get you taken care of. You have earned a trip to the hospital."

Hutch held the now cold coffee in his hand as he sat in the waiting room. He heard someone coming and glanced up to see his captain headed his way. "Well, how is he? What happened? How did he get hurt? Why didn't you wait for back-up?"

"Give me a chance to answer you. I don't know anything yet, they are still working on him. No one has come out to talk to me yet. I don't know what happened, he went in the back and I went in the front. We couldn't wait, shots had already been fired and there were innocent people in there." Dobey was about to ask another question when they saw the doctor approaching. Hutch walked towards him, "How is he doctor? Is he going to be alright?"

"Detective Starsky took a pretty severe blow to the head. There is no fracture, but he does have a mild to moderate concussion. I want to keep him overnight for observation. He will need to rest for at least three days, and take it a bit easy for a week or so after that. He should make a full recovery."

Hutch was concerned, "Doctor, there was quite a bit of bleeding, should we be worried about that?"

The doctor shook his head, "Head injuries tend to bleed more than other injuries. He did not lose enough blood to be concerned. The wound did not even require stitches. You can go see him if you like, but only for a few minutes. He needs to rest."

"Hey Buddy, how are you feeling? Is there anything you need?"

Starsky looked up. "Did you get the number of that truck? Man, I feel like I have bongos in my head."

Hutch chuckled, happy to see his partner had not lost his humor. "I am not totally sure what happened Starsk. I have not had the chance to question the perps yet. Do you remember?"

Starsky thought, "I went in the back and saw a guy in the office. I headed towards him when I heard something behind me. Next thing I know, you are looking down at me telling me to be still. When can I go home? How long will I be down? I only have six days until my big weekend with Kristy. I can't let anything interfere with that."

Hutch smiled, "Don't worry Starsk. The doc said you can go home tomorrow, and you will need to rest for at least three days. As long as you take it a little easy, your weekend should be fine."

Starsky did not look happy. "Hutch, I was not planning on taking it easy this weekend. It is Kristy's birthday and I want it to be special. I am going to have to talk to the doctor to see exactly what he means by taking it easy."

A nurse stepped in just then. "Sir, you will have to leave, the doctor wants Mr. Starsky to have his rest."

Hutch put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "You heard the lady, I will be back to get you in the morning Buddy. Try to get some rest."

Captain Dobey was waiting for Hutch when he came out of the room. "What did he have to say?"

"Well Cap, he does not remember everything. He came in the back door and found one of the perps in the office. The other one must have come up behind him. That is all he knows. The guy that was in the office might be able to shed some light. I am not going to worry about that right now. We have them, there were plenty of witnesses. Simmons and Babcock can handle it. I have some things to take care of."

The next day Hutch brought Starsky home. He walked him up the stairs to his apartment. When they got inside, Hutch showed him what he had done the day before. The freezer had meals made up for the rest of the week, and the weekend. Groceries for the weekend were carefully packaged and ready to go. Hutch grinned, "I also ordered that cake for you. It will be ready Thursday afternoon. I have one more surprise for you." He pointed to the bedroom just as Kristy came out. "I called Kristy and explained what happened. She took some time off work and has decided to take care of you. That way she will be sure you are ready for your weekend." He walked over to Kristy and kissed her on the cheek. "Normally I take care of Starsky when something like this happens. However, I am sure he is in good hands with you. Have a great time. I'll see you Monday, Starsk."

Monday morning Hutch arrived at the squad room knowing Starsky would be along in a few minutes. He always got to work before his partner, unless they rode together. He sat down at his desk just as the captain's door opened. "Starsk, what are you doing here so early? Wait a minute, this is too creepy. It is just like last week."

Starsky laughed, "I was just checking in with Dobey since I had not been here since I got hurt."

Hutch nodded, still a little creeped out. "So, first of all, I have not heard from you in DAYS; how are you?"

"Don't worry mother, I am completely recovered from the concussion. Kristy is absolutely the best nurse."

Now it was Hutch's turn to laugh, "I thought you would appreciate having her around for a few more days than planned. So, tell me about your weekend."

Starsky got a faraway look in his eyes. "Hutch, Kristy is amazing. She stayed at my place until we were ready to leave. Thank you for all the cooking, by the way. It was appreciated by both of us. Anyway, she made me rest for a few days, and then we did some stuff together. Walked on the beach, went for a picnic; she is such fun to be with. On Thursday I took her to a really nice place for her birthday, and then we left for the cabin. And THAT is all you get. What went on in that cabin is between me and her. However, I assure you, we both thoroughly enjoyed her birthday."


End file.
